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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
Paul Wersin, Marek P?kala, Peter Alt-Epping (Univ of Bern), Petteri Pitkäenen (Posiva Oy), Veerle Cloet (Nagra)
Proceedings | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) | Charlotte, NC, April 9-13, 2017 | Pages 30-34
This work presents the conceptual approach and preliminary results obtained from modelling sulfide cycling and its impact on the chemical stability of the copper waste canister in the near-field of a geological repository for high-level radioactive waste. Reactive transport modelling allows the study of a complex system of geo-bio-chemical reactions, including relevant feedback among them as well as their coupling to transport processes. The presented approach enables quantitative understanding of system controlling processes, allows canister corrosion rates from sulfide fluxes to be estimated, and may be used as a tool in decision making regarding the design of the engineered barrier system of a waste repository.